minnesota nice

i had somebody at my school ask me if i was from minnesota (its had for people to believe that there really are black people there even though the twin cities is 30% black).  i replied yes but i knew the question was loaded.  the person then went on to ask me how i feel about the republican national convention being held there and what it says about the area.  remember now people...i am currently living in...texas.  so i responded

it makes sense for the republicans to try to mobilize and get support in minnesota, it is only one of the most progressive states in the country.  both the senate and the house have twice as many democrats than republicans.  speaking specifically for minneapolis, its one of the best places to live...and not just because it's my hometown.

-it was recently ranked the most literate city; our school systems public and private are among the est in the country

-we headquarter tons of fortune 500 and fortune 1000 companies so the employment opportunities for young professionals is great

-we have one of the cleanest and healthiest cities in the country

-we have the best of all seasons; statistical fact that the twin cities has the greatest variation of temperatures in the world

-we have amazing facilities for entertainment; museums, restaurants, galleries, parks, theaters, blah blah blah

-the state fair; quite possibly the only state whose state fair is in the metropolitan area 

-we have a progressive tax system, great healthcare benefits

-wonderful housing accommodations

-diversity; all jokes aside because i know how that word is thrown around so loosely

-ok our sports teams currently suck...but people still support them hahaha

i could go on and on and on but theres a point to be made and its trying to figure out why the republican party would want so badly to turn the state of minnesota red...simple as that.  plus there was all this talk about mccain selecting minnesota governor tim pawlenty as his running mate...which wouldve really made sense

minnesota governor tim pawlenty

a little bit about pawlentys track racord

-since being governor in 2002 he took the $4.5 billion dollar deficit and turned it into a $2.2 billion surplus.

-he spent $800 million dollars to improve the school systems

-developed health care reforms with no increase in premiums and one of the best perscription drug plans in the nation

-increased the state's ethanol standards to increase the use of alternative fuels and lower the dependence on foreign oil

so he's done good things for the state...now mccain would choose him for his track record and the fact that he has the following positions

-pro-life

-protecting the traditional idea of marriage

-harsher sentencing for criminals (including a proposition to reinstate the death penalty in 

minnesota)

-proposed an illegal immigration task force

-believes in faith based initiatives

-supports performance pay systems for both teachers and politicians

see! he would've been a great choice for republican vice president and it wouldve definitely went over well to have the convention in his home state, and possibly been a factor in turning minnesota into a red state; considering the great things that governor pawlenty has done for the state, many minnesotans (who arent convinced by senator obama, would definitely consider voting for pawelnty because of his history of improving conditions for the people he represents.

so there...that's why the republican national convention is being held in the twin cities...now somebody in texas tell me why our library is named after george bush and there are statues on campus erected to ku klux clan grand wizards!

~charity

song of the day

cali sunshine ft. bilal - the game

(click here to download)

i like the game, i'm not ashamed to admit it.  i don't condemn him to the fires of hip hop hel for all the name dropping and i dont take sides against him on any "beefs" he had.  i like his music, i like his wordplay, his flow and his content.  this track is dope, the sample, the beat, bilal kills it and it makes me wanna immediately hop a plane to cali

~charity

word of the day

factotum (fak-toh-tuhm)

noun

a person employed to do all kinds of work or business

now use it in a sentence!

~charity

last week's reads

this is the first year of my phd coursework and the reading load has increased to about 3 books a week so i figured to help me make sure i do the reading i would keep you all updated on my assignments so...i'll give you all a brief summary of what the texts and what i've gotten from them

american holocaust: the conquest of the new world by david e. stannard:

this book is about the destruction of indigenous people at the hands of european crusaders (thats my word).  the book paints a picture of life for the indigenous people in the americas before columbus and discussed how europeans brought violence, disease and destruction to the societies there.  stannard's purpose is to establish the roots of euro-american racism and genocidal behavior.  with this text i focus specifically on the use of christian rhetoric to justify the rape, pillage and murder of innocent people.  

been in the stome so long: the aftermath of slavery by leon f. litwack

admittedly i have not finished this book yet (600 pages in a week has been a bit of a challenge) but so far it is a detailed account of the relationships between black and whites and among blacks during the civil war and in the reconstruction period afterwards.  it covers the range of attitudes surrounding the purpose of the civil war and the changes that occurred after its completion; focusing on the south.  with this text i focus specifically focus on is what exactly freedom meant to the newly freed slaves in the south considering there were no conditions to integrate them equally into society.  

i'll most likely be writing some reaction papers, journal articles or just reflections on these texts which i will make available as they are finished

~charity

song of the day

liberation ft. cee-lo and erykah badu - outkast

(click here to download)

just some early morning inspiration for those going through this beautiful struggle...shake that load off, shake that load off, shake that load off, shake that load off...

~charity

word of the day

melee (may-lay, may-ley)

noun

1.  a fight or hand to hand struggle in which combatants are mingled in one confused conflict

2.  a confused conflict or mingling

now use it in a sentence!

~charity

the return

a quick apology to those who had been faithfully visiting this blog and were continually disappointed by the lack of posts for the month.  when real life happens, cyberspace is put on the backburner...but things seem to be in order for the time being, so i have returned!

back to the blogging